The Importance of Underground Railway Stations at Long Thanh International Airport

Recently, transportation expert Nguyen An expressed his regret that Passenger Terminal 1 at Long Thanh International Airport will not be able to integrate an underground railway station. According to him, the construction of the foundation and the underground railway station was not included in the original design.

The expert believes that for the remaining three terminals, it is essential to design and construct underground railway stations. Delays in this project will have a significant impact on transportation efficiency and congestion.

The design must include a connection plan to Terminal 1, which has already been completed, and an “open” plan to await the connection to Terminals 3 and 4, which will be constructed between 2030 and 2045. Additionally, the project to connect Long Thanh Airport and Thu Thiem using a light rail line must determine the starting point of the line at the airport area to establish a connection with the underground railway station inside Terminal 2.

In response to concerns about the lack of underground railway stations at Long Thanh Airport, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) confirmed that the construction of Passenger Terminals 1 and the high-speed railway stations and light rail stations are independent structures. They already have a connection plan to ensure convenient passenger transfers between the railway stations and Passenger Terminal.

Specifically, according to the approved master plan for Long Thanh Airport, both the North-South high-speed railway and Thủ Thiêm – Long Thanh light rail lines run entirely within the internal port line of the airport, with a distance of approximately 40 meters between the lines.

During Phase 1 of Long Thanh Airport’s construction, no construction was carried out within this planned area. Space was reserved for future railway and train station construction according to the master plan. Passenger Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4, and other construction projects such as parking lots are located outside and on both sides of this internal transport line.

According to the feasibility study for the current high-speed railway project conducted by the Transportation Engineering Design Company (TEDI), the railway station will be located underground, ahead and 220 meters away from Passenger Terminal 1 at Long Thanh Airport, and 35 meters away from the T1 parking lot. After completion, the railway station will be connected with the railway bridge system to ensure convenient passenger transfers from Passenger Terminal 1 to the railway station.

“Thus, Passenger Terminal 1 at Long Thanh Airport and the high-speed railway stations and light rail stations are independent structures. The construction of the foundation does not affect each other, and there is already a connection plan to ensure convenient passenger transfers between the railway stations and Passenger Terminal (excluding the foundation of the terminal),” ACV’s representative confirmed.

ACV also stated that the design and construction progress for every project will follow the schedule. The connection of technical systems such as power supply, water supply, and communication will be integrated into the overall technical infrastructure of the airport.

“Therefore, the information in the article is not accurate and has led to misunderstandings about the overall master plan of Long Thanh Airport and the construction process of the airport’s projects,” the ACV representative added.

According to the current study, the Thủ Thiêm – Long Thanh light rail line is 37.35 km long and includes 20 stations. In particular, the segment passing through Ho Chi Minh City is 11.8 km long, while the segment passing through Dong Nai is 25.55 km long. The starting point is Thủ Thiêm Station (Thủ Đức District, Ho Chi Minh City), and the final destination is Long Thanh International Airport Station (Dong Nai Province).

The total investment for this railway project is estimated at about VND 40,500 billion. This railway primarily serves passenger transportation between downtown Ho Chi Minh City and Long Thanh International Airport, with a maximum speed of 80 km/h and an operating speed of 60 km/h. The railway’s goal is to start investing in 2025 and implement the project during the 2025-2030 phase.